How a Fashion Icon Found his Life Purpose at Age 40

Finding your genius – that special something you do very, very well – can take time.

Look at Giorgio Armani, who started the Italian fashion brand named after him in 1975 — when he was 40 years old. Back then, he “was just another middle-aged man” wondering if the best days of his life were behind him, writes Michael Hainey in this gq.com piece.

Armani started as a window dresser at a department store in Milan. He became the store’s menswear buyer, then moved on to work as a designer for Nino Cerruti.

At the time, his significant other was Sergio Galeotti. It was Galeotti who recognized Armani’s potential and persuaded him to sell his Volkswagen Beetle for money to open his own business. They started small, with Galeotti (now deceased) running the books and Armani handling the creative.